Unlike the ride between Myrtleford and Beechworth, it is not that easy to find a back road ride to supplement the rail trail between Myrtleford and Bright. If super enthusiastic you could take the Happy Valley Road at Ovens, connect to the Kiewa Valley Highway and then head to Bright over the very scenic Tawonga Gap (see this bikepacking trip for Mount Beauty and Tawonga Gap). This would make for an epic day out. With Mrs CyclingGravel along for the trip, we stuck to a return on the trail – still a decent 61km.

The gentle rail trail climb to Bright is beautiful, offering farm, mountain, valley and river views as well as a number of places to stop along the way (our favourite was Buffalo Berry Farm). I would say that whilst the descent from Beechworth is very nice, this stretch of the trail is probably the most scenic of the whole Murray to Mountains.

On entering Bright the rail trail passes behind houses before depositing you in the main shopping area of town. Again, the ability to carry purchases should be considered depending on who you are travelling with (and that includes takeaway from Bright Brewery!). If you want to add some distance to your route you can also consider the very pleasant cycle up to Harrietville.

Overall this makes for a lovely ride. The only slightly annoying part of the trail is the detour through Porepunkah – which is slightly confusing. Clearly designed to use existing trails and also take you through the town, it is a diversion from where the rail line would have travelled (presumably Station Street!). Having said that, on a hot day it is worth considering taking a dip in the river at Riverside Park.

Details of this ride